Asus G703VI-XH74K

Hands-on article by Ümit Yılmaz Güneş

“Professional gamers, come here! We have something to show you!”. I would not be surprised if Asus were to use a similar language to that sentence when introducing G703 models. Because, this model is in my opinion a true translation of what Republic of Gamers should mean.
I am not just talking about hardware or keyboard etc. There are a few things that may separate G703 from the rest. Sure, first hardware: 7820HK processor with GTX 1080 graphics card. 32 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD blazing fast SSD. All this sounds boring to me, since all this be found in competitors as well. To me what differs this model from the rest is hidden inside its specifications sheet.
First thing that I liked about this model the Anti Dust cooling system that Asus brags about. If it is to be true and if you are someone like me that can not tolerate to open hardware just to clean dust, it is amazing. Think about it, you do not have to open your laptops internal every 3-6 months just to see dust. On the other hand this assures that your CPU and GPU do not get overheated because of dirt. Your fan noise will never change and so on.
The other feature that I liked, as a gamer, is the possibility to use Xbox controllers directly. Asus claims they have included a built in Xbox Wireless controller module, so gamers can directly use their Xbox controllers for playing games. It is nice to have, and useful in real life scenarios. You do not have to use a USB port just for a remote connector.
G703 comes with latest technologies; HDMI 2.0, Thunderbolt 3, mDPI 1.4. So in terms of being future proof, you are in good hands.
Let us talk about what might change your mind about this device. First of all it is bulky, actually, not bulky it is total bulk. It weighs around 5 kg and has a thickness of close to 4 cm. So its base unit is pretty huge. The buying decision starts with, if you are not going to be mobile with this device, is it worth purchasing it? Device is great, do not get me wrong. Case, workmanship, everything about it is good. But its price tag is high. For such a price tag, you do not even get a 4K screen and stuck to a FHD panel. Since it is heavy and to get full performance you need to keep it plugged in all the time, should you buy a desktop model instead? Well, if you are not going to be joining gaming parties and not planning to move your laptop from your desk anytime soon, you should question this option.
Asus G703VI-XH74K has everything a gamer can ask for. All the performance you need, but well in a relatively low resolution. Does the price tag worth the purchase? You need to decide it on your own.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

The Asus G703VI-XH74K is a new ultra-high-end gaming laptop that combines an overclocked CPU with a 17.3” display featuring a 144 Hz refresh rate. It is meant to deliver gaming desktop-like performance. Its price is higher than advanced desktop PCs due to the display and portability. Many leading gaming laptop vendors have started to offer FHD panels with 120 Hz refresh rate. This time, ASUS and AUO up the ante once again and roll out the industry’s first laptop with a 17.3” AHVA panel featuring a native 144 Hz refresh rate. This is combined with G-Sync, allowing for a variable refresh rate based on game performance. The ROG G703VI-XH74K is the only laptop in the world with such a high refresh rate so far. To further appeal to gamers, the ASUS ROG G703 comes with a keyboard featuring keys with a 2.5 mm travel, N-key rollover, customizable RGB backlighting as well as dedicated buttons to start the XSplit Gamecaster, program AURA lighting, adjust the ROG settings or wirelessly connect to Microsoft’s Xbox One controllers. At the heart of the ASUS ROG G703VI Chimera, there is Intel’s Core i7-7820HK processor that is factory overclocked and runs at up to 4.3 GHz in single-core burst mode (400 MHz higher than recommended by Intel), which could be useful for some games. The processor features unlocked multiplier theoretically enabling users to increase frequency for all four cores. Moving on to memory and storage, the ASUS ROG G703VI-XH74K comes with 32 GB of DDR4-2800 (expandable to 64GB), two 256 GB PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs running in RAID 0 and a 1 TB 2.5” hybrid drive.
As for the graphics processor, it is equipped with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU that will be able to operate at up to 1974 MHz in boost mode (up from 1733 MHz recommended by Nvidia) and push its memory to 10.3 GT/s data transfer rate (up from 10 GT/s). The GPU supports NVIDIA’s G-Sync dynamic refresh rate technology, which will be helpful for the 144 Hz display panel. To guarantee proper cooling of the components and ensure stability in the long-term, ASUS has equipped its G703 with its new Anti-Dust Cooling (ADC) system that can clean itself from dust and provide better cooling performance in general. The ADC uses two 12 V blowers (instead of regular 5 V blowers) that can create a very high air pressure when needed to exhaust dust and other particles sucked into the chassis, or just spin faster when extra cooling performance is needed. For connectivity, the ROG G703 has a Gigabit Ethernet port, an 802.11ac Wi-Fi module, one Thunderbolt 3 port, four USB 3.0 Type-A connectors, an SD card reader, a mDP 1.4 port, an HDMI output and so on. With three display outputs and the GPU, this means a total of four monitors are supported.

Pricecompare

80%Asus ROG G703 reviewSource: TechradarThere aren’t many gaming notebooks that can beat the G703 for speed or quality, but this laptop is hugely expensive – and just huge, too. Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 02/01/2018Rating:Total score: 80%

Asus ROG G703 – Gaming Laptop ReviewSource: HardwareheavenThe Asus ROG G703 is a huge, heavy and powerful laptop, and that means it certainly won’t be for everyone – especially with a price like this. But if you do want a reliable and capable machine for high-end gaming and don’t mind paying extra for high quality, this heavyweight contender is excellent. Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/30/2018

80%Asus ROG G703Source: Trusted ReviewsThe Asus ROG G703 is a large and imposing laptop, but it’s a superb choice if you’re not willing to make any compromises. Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 01/22/2018Rating:Total score: 80%

Pricecompare

Average Score:85% - goodAverage of 2 scores (from 3 reviews)

88.3%Asus ROG Chimera G703GI (i9 8950HK, GTX 1080, Full HD) Laptop Review | NotebookcheckLike a shot of adrenaline. Asus' new ROG Chimera G703GI is currently one of the fastest gaming laptops on the market. Thanks to its Core i9-8950HK and overclockable GeForce GTX 1080, even the most demanding games run fluidly. G-Sync and a 144 Hz monitor round out the package.

80%Asus ROG G703GI reviewSource: TechradarThe Asus ROG G703GI is one of the most powerful gaming laptops we’ve ever tried, which also makes it one of the most expensive. If you can get past the high price tag and short battery life, you get an amazing portable gaming machine that can handle the latest games with ease. Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 05/10/2018Rating:Total score: 80%

In the notebook sector, Asus had a global market share of about 11% from 2014-2016, making it the fourth largest laptop manufacturer. In the smartphone sector, Asus is not among the Top 5 and has only a small market share (as of 2016).

These graphics cards are able to play the latest and most demanding games in high resolutions and full detail settings with enabled Anti-Aliasing.NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Laptop): Pascal based laptop graphics card using GDDR5 graphics memory. Should offer a similar performance to the deskto GTX 1080. However, there is also a more power efficient "Max-Q" version that performs worse than the normal GTX1080 and is used in thin and light laptops.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops. 7820HK: Quad-core notebook processor based on the Kaby Lake architecture running at 2.9 - 3.9 GHz. It is the second fastest model of the consumer H-series in the beginning of 2017. The chip also integrates the HD Graphics 630 GPU clocked at 350 - 1100 MHz and is manufactured in a 14 nm process (improved compared to Skylake). Compared to the Core i7-7820HQ, the 7820HK lacks business features like vPro or TXT support.Intel Core i9: 8950HK: On Coffee Lake architecture based processor for big and heavy laptops. Integrates six processor cores clocked at 2.9- 4.8 GHz (4.3 GHz with 6 cores) that support HyperThreading. Manufactured in an improved 14nm process (14nm++). Offers an unlocked multiplier that allows overclocking of the CPU.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

4.4 kg:

This weight is representative for typical laptops with a 14-16 inch display-diagonal.

4.8 kg:

83.66%: This rating should be considered to be average. This is because the proportion of notebooks which have a higher rating is approximately equal to the proportion which have a lower rating.» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.